Sanitary overflow drain



April l2, l955 J. K. MGNAMARA 2,705,809

SANITARY OVERFLOW DRAIN Filed oct. s1, 1952 7J y. i 57 3556 TTORNEY United States Patent O SANITARY OVERFLOW DRAIN James K. McNamara, Campbell Hall, N. Y.

Application October 31, 1952, Serial No. 317,982

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-255) This invention relates to a novel sanitary overliow drain for wash basins, sinks, bathtubs and the like, capable of being utilized with standard tubing and fittings and providing an extremely and eicient means for maintaining the overflow drain in a clean and sanitary condition.

Wash basins, sinks and bathtub overflow drains wherein body waste exuded by the skin and rotting hair, each of which is capable of spawning germs, collects in such overflow drains which are conventionally provided with no means of cleaning such drains so that conventional overflow drains provide an overlooked and ignored breeding place for disease and germs, fungus growth and ies, which is exposed to the air and wherein a filthy and unsanitary condition is normally allowed to continue indefinitely.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved overflow drain of extremely simple construction capable of being very economically manufactured, utilizing for the most part standard tubing and fittings and which is capable of being readily maintained in a clean and sanitary condition at all times.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an overow drain having a plunger operating in an overow conduit thereof and capable of functioning therewith as a pump for clearing a drain trap to which the overow drain is connected or the outlet of a wash basin, sink or bathtub of which the overow forms a part.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the overow drain;

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2 2 of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, a portion of a conventional wash basin, sink or bathtub is illustrated in Figures l and 2, designated generally 5, and includes a substantially horizontally disposed shelf or ledge 6 having a recessed portion 7 provided with an opening 8.

The improved overflow drain, designated generally 9, includes an externally threaded sleeve 10 which extends downwardly through the opening 8 and which has an outturned surrounding ange 11 at its upper end which rests on the upper surface of the recessed portion 7 around the opening 8 thereof for supporting the sleeve 10. A nut 12 engages the sleeve 10 below said recessed portion 7 and supports a washer 13 which is clamped between the nut and the underside of the recessed portion 7 which surrounds the opening 8, when the nut is advanced upwardly, so that the nut and washer combine with the flange 11 for clamping the sleeve to the portion 7 of the le ge 6.

Avpipe coupling 14 has a bottom anged opening 15 of larger internal diameter than a top anged opening 16 thereof which aligns with the opening 15. A pipe 17 is inserted upwardly through the bottom coupling opening and upwardly through the top coupling opening 16 and has a ared lower end 18 which seats in an enlarged bottom portion 19 of the flanged opening 16. I'he upper end of the pipe 17 extends into the sleeve 10 and carries a collar 20 which is internally threaded to engage the lower end of the externally threaded sleeve 10 and which collar is internally flanged at its lower end to provide 2,705,809 Patented Apr. 12, 1955 a seat for a sealing gasket 21. A similar collar 22 containing a sealing gasket 23 threadedly tits on the ange of the opening 16 and around the portion of the pipe 17 disposed directly thereabove to form a liquid tight seal between the pipe 17 and coupling 14. The coupling 14 has opposite side openings 24 and 25 the flanges of which are externally threaded. One end of a pipe or conduit 26 is connected to the side opening 24 by a anged collar 27 containing a sealing gasket 28 to form a liquid tight joint. The other end of the conduit 26, not shown, is adapted to be connected to the usual drain pipe, not shown, leading downwardly from a conventional drain outlet, not shown, formed in the bottom of the wash basin, sink or tub 5, to the usual trap, not shown. The bottom anged opening 15 and the other side opening 25 are each normally closed and sealed by threaded caps 29 and 30, respectively.

A plunger rod 31 normally extends through the sleeve 10 and pipe 17 into the coupling 14 and has threaded ends. A plunger 32 is mounted on the lower threaded end of the rod 31 between nuts 33 which are threaded thereon. A perforated plate 34 has solid upturned flanges at the ends thereof forming end walls 35 and has a centrally disposed depending boss which is provided with a threaded recess forming a socket 36 in which the upper end of the rod 31 is secured. The plate 34 forms a combination strainer and soap dish and the marginal portion thereof normally rests on a shallow depression 40 which surrounds the deeper recess or depression 7 of the ledge 6 and when so disposed combines with the rod 31 to support the plunger 32 in the bottom coupling opening 15. A substantially U-shaped handle 37 is pivotally connected at its ends at 38 to the intermediate portions of the end Walls 35 and is provided with a perforated intermediate portion 39 which normally lies along the inner edge of the plate 34 to form the front wall of the soap dish to prevent a cake of soap, not shown, from sliding from the soap dish forwardly into the main body of the basin, sink or tub 5.

It will be readily apparent that overflow water may readily drain through the combination soap dish and strainer 34, through the sleeve 10 and conduit 17 thence through the coupling 14 into the pipe 26 by which the overflow water is carried into the pipe leading from the drain outlet of the fixture 5. The overflow pipe 17, in which considerable dirt and filth normally collects, may be readily cleaned by grasping the handle portion 39 to position the handle in an upright position so that the plunger 32 can be drawn upwardly through the pipe 17 for removing any dirt or filth from the inner surface thereof. The plunger 32 can be completely withdrawn through the upper end of the sleeve 10 and may similarly be inserted therethrough into the pipe 17 and has sufficiently close fitting engagement in said pipe to scrape the inner surface thereof and to maintain said surface in a clean and polished condition. Additionally, the pipe 17 functions as a pump cylinder with the plunger 32 functioning as a piston so that by reciprocating the plunger in the pipe 17 a pressure may be built up below the plunger and in the coupling 14 and pipe 26. With the drain outlet of the fixture 5 open, a sufficient pressure may be built up by the back pressure of the liquid in the drain trap so that a back or upward ushing of the drain outlet of the fixture 5 will be accomplished for cleaning any lth which may have accumulated therein. Likewise, when the drain outlet of the fixture 5 is closed or plugged, the pressure built up in the pipe 26 will be exerted through the drain trap for flushing out and alleviating any stoppage or obstructions therein.

Likewise, any dirt or filth which accumulates in the coupling 14 may be readily removed therefrom by removing the bottom cap 29 and the side cap 30 so that said coupling and the pipe 26 can be thoroughly cleansed by elevating the plunger 32 into the upper pipe 17. The ared lower end 1S of the pipe 17 functions to guide the plunger into said pipe when said plunger is raised by the handle 37. The plunger 32 in its normal position as illustrated in Figure 2 will not interfere with normal drainage through the drain conduit 17, 14, 26.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that an overow drain of extremely simple construction has been provided which utilizes standard tubing and ttings, which is capable of being readily maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and additionally utilized as a pump for cleaning the drain outlet and drain trap of a wash basin, sink or bathtub.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter dened by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In an overow drain for a plumbing fixture, a fixture portion having a recessed part provided with an overflow drain opening, an overow drain conduit including a drain pipe having an upper end connected to said recessed part and extending through the opening thereof, a pipe coupling having an inlet connected to and communicating with the opposite `lower end of the drain pipe and having an outlet disposed at an angle to said inlet, a plunger rod extending through said drain pipe having a lower end disposed in the coupling, a plunger secured to the lower coupling below the outlet thereof, said means comprising a perforated plate having upstanding end walls, and a bail-like handle pivotally connected to said end walls for reciprocating the plate, rod and plunger, said perforated plate forming an overow strainer and soap dish, the intermediate portion of said handle being normally disposed along a side edge of the plate to form a front wall of the soap dish.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 229,627 McFarland July 6, 1880 381,225 Dunnett Apr. 17, 1888 765,697 Bunting, Jr. July 26, 1904 937,079 Longfellow Oct. 19, 1909 1,012,041 Weaver Dec. 19, 1911 1,083,990 Collins Jan. 13, 1914 1,445,101 Niedecken Feb. 13, 1923 1,455,177 Stafford May 15, 1923 2,327,393 Beeke et al Aug. 24, 1943 2,607,045 Morris Aug. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 45,973 France Nov. 8, 1935 (Addition to No. 770,394.) 

